People of Texas Mentoring Children of Promise

While many programs reach out to those incarcerated, very few address the specific needs of
the children affected by this situation. The Amachi Texas program is designed to address these
needs and alter the potentially negative direction of these children’s lives. The Amachi Texas
program ensures that these children will benefit from the interaction of having an additional
caring adult in their lives.

Upcoming Events

Be a Mentor and Help Break the Chain

Amachi History

The word Amachi is a Nigerian Ibo (IGBO) word that means, “Who knows what God has
brought us through this child?” The Amachi program dates to 2001 and was the result of a
collaborative think tank which included the University of Pennsylvania, Pew Charitable Trust,
Public Private Ventures, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Then, as now, the mission
was/is to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and incarceration and give a forgotten
(invisible) group of children the chance to reach their highest potential. Dr. W. Wilson Goode,
Sr., a former two-term mayor of Philadelphia, took the mission to heart and implemented it
successfully in Philadelphia and across the country.

Amachi Texas

Amachi Texas is a joint initiative between the Office of the Governor,
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Education Agency,
OneStar Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas.